A new report released Thursday by the Pew Research Center says that black and Hispanic mothers, ages 40 to 44, are especially likely to have larger families.
Pew’s study, which focuses on the increasing number of educated women opting for motherhood, said the decline in share of moms with four or more kids has dropped significantly among black mothers. 18% of black moms have four or more children, compared to 20% percent of Hispanic moms. In comparison, 11% of white mothers have four or more children, as do 10% of Asian moms.
In 1988, three-in-ten black mothers ages 40 to 44 had four or more children, but by 2014, just 18% did. At the same time, the share of black mothers with one child rose by five percentage points (from 20% to 25%), as did the share with two children.
Among whites, blacks and Asians, having two children is the most common outcome for mothers. Asian moms are the most likely to have two children—fully half do. Some 44% of white moms ages 40 to 44 have two children, as do about one-third of black moms.
On average, a Hispanic mother ages 40 to 44 has had about 2.6 children. By comparison, black mothers have had about 2.5. White and Asian mothers have families that are a bit smaller, on average. White mothers have 2.3 children, and Asian mothers have 2.2 children.
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SOURCE: NBC News, Charise Frazier
